Heartchanged, it means that the first reading of 8.1 was probably the correct magnitude.

Ok, gotcha!

Zerozx

October 7th, 2009, 08:32 PM

Are they just confused? :thinkingI don't follow this stuff all that well.

I have no idea. The data seemed to be going back and forth, changing continuously. After all of that, now it seems to be completely quiet. No damage or injuries reported, tsunami watches and warnings all canceled... now what? quietness? :thinking

00.7

October 7th, 2009, 08:32 PM

That's why I don't trust these machines... They are never accurate. Sometimes I wonder if they over exaggerate.

Teotwawki

October 7th, 2009, 08:32 PM

Hmm i just refreshed the page and it's there again:
http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_big.php

Plus a new 5.7 aftershock as well

Zerozx

October 7th, 2009, 08:33 PM

Plus a new 5.7 aftershock as well

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009mlcw.php

Zerozx

October 7th, 2009, 09:14 PM

All tsunami warnings cancelled following a series of major earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean: http://news.bnonews.com/n3ng

VANUATU (BNO NEWS) – A massive earthquake rocked the Pacific Ocean on Thursday morning, according to seismologists, creating a small tsunami.

The initial earthquake, which struck about 232 miles north-northwest of Vanuatu's Santo, had a preliminary magnitude of 8.1, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The United States Geological Survey reported it as a 7.8-magnitude.

The first quake happened at 9.03 a.m. local time (22.03 UTC Wednesday). A spokeswoman for the United States Geological Survey told BNO News that an aftershock, with a preliminary 7.1-magnitude, struck about one hour later. The epicenter of the second tremor was located about 170 miles south of Lata on the Santa Cruz Islands.

Tsunami warnings were immediately issued for Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Kiribati, Kosrae, wallis-Futuna and Howland-Baker. Later, warnings were also issued for the Marshall Islands, Tokelau, the Kermadec Islands, Pohnpei, New Zealand, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Australia, Niue, the Cook Islands, Chuuk and Indonesia. Several hours later, all warnings and watches were cancelled.

The earthquake struck about 15 miles deep, making it an extremely shallow earthquake. Shallow earthquakes often tend to cause more damage, and increase the risk of a tsunami when it strikes at sea.

A spokeswoman for the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center confirmed to BNO News that a tsunami had been generated, and said it was reviewing further sea level readings, although it did not appear that a destructive tsunami had had any coast.

An official at the Fiji Meteorological Service earlier told BNO News that it had urged people to evacuate to higher ground. It initially feared that a tsunami could hit coastal areas around 12.37 p.m. local time. The official said that mobile phone networks sent messages to all phones to warn people in the areas and to begin evacuations.

Residents in the low lying Pacific island state of Tuvalu were ordered to evacuate from areas close to the sea, police officials told the AFP news agency.

Officials also told the AFP news agency that New Caledonia had evacuated schools and sounded tsunami warning sirens in coastal areas following the earthquakes. It also reported evacuations in Vanuatu.

Caver

October 7th, 2009, 09:16 PM

Hmm i just refreshed the page and it's there again:
http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_big.php

You know, I never really thought about the reactions of those whose job it is to monitor these earthquakes and tsunamis. They must have been in a frenzy trying to keep up with what was going on and trying to sort it all out.